Chapter 60: Huli's New Home

Ailin looked down at her fully restored right leg, carefully rotating the joint left and right before putting on her sock and slowly standing up, supported by Yu Sheng's hand.

“Are… are both legs the same length?” The little puppet stared straight at Yu Sheng. “I didn’t guide the reconstruction this time—I just did the spirit infusion and fusion. Can you check for me…”

Yu Sheng rolled his eyes. “Of course they’re the same length. I only fixed the surface; I didn’t cut them off and reshape them.”

Ailin breathed a sigh of relief, taking a few steps back and forth on the table with her short little legs, finally breaking into a smile. “I can run around again! You did pretty well this time, Yu Sheng. Maybe you really have a talent for making dolls?”

“Thanks for the compliment…” Yu Sheng replied casually, then watched Ailin, now mobile again, pick up her picture frame, hop from the table to a nearby empty chair in a flash, then climb backward down to the floor before starting to dart around the attic space in circles.

In the past, every time Ailin zipped around like that, Yu Sheng found it too rowdy, especially since she always bumped into things and made a mess of the house. But for some reason, this time, watching her run wild didn’t annoy him. Instead, a strange sense of achievement gradually swelled in his heart.

“Talent for making dolls…” Yu Sheng muttered, looking down at the scraper in his hand and the almost-empty jar of modeling clay. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if Ailin was just flattering him or genuinely complimenting him.

He wasn’t sure whether he had a talent for doll-making, but he suddenly recalled those two lotus root sections that he’d randomly messed with and accidentally succeeded in “infusing spirit” into.

It seemed that Ailin had completely forgotten about that.

Just then, the sound of footsteps from the stairs interrupted Yu Sheng’s thoughts, as well as Ailin’s running around in the attic.

Yu Sheng turned and saw a pair of fluffy white ears poking out from the stairwell, followed by Huli, who was looking around with a face full of nervousness and curiosity.

The fox girl was wearing a pair of pajamas that looked a bit too large for her, her silver-white hair still slightly damp. She had probably followed the scent here. Seeing both Yu Sheng and Ailin, her face immediately lit up with a happy smile. “Ah! Benefactor, and Ailin! You’re both here!”

Then she noticed that Ailin’s hands and feet were “healed” and was pleasantly surprised. “Ailin, your hands… grew back?”

“Yu Sheng fixed me!” Ailin happily raised her hands to show Huli, then hopped in place. “My legs are fixed too!”

“Benefactor, your immortal arts are amazing,” Huli stared in awe at the fully restored puppet, then turned to Yu Sheng with a look of respect. “You know the Nether Passage, can reshape bodies and restore life, and even understand puppet crafting.”

Yu Sheng thought for a moment. The “Nether Passage” this fox mentioned probably referred to his ability to “open doors,” and it seemed she had mistaken Ailin for a puppet he had crafted.

The next second, Ailin, having caught on, leaped up and started making a racket. “What do you mean ‘puppet’! I’m a living doll from Alice’s Cottage! A blessed one, understand! If you don’t know, don’t spout nonsense, you wild fox!”

Huli listened blankly to the little puppet’s commotion, then bowed her head. “Oh, I don’t understand. I won’t spout nonsense.”

Ailin stopped mid-rant, completely dazed. She was used to bickering with Yu Sheng, and this was the first time she’d encountered someone so honest and docile who didn’t argue back. Her mind went blank, and she stood there frozen.

And then, Yu Sheng suddenly noticed something.

He looked at Huli’s back in slight shock. “…Where are your tails?”

Ailin also came to her senses, belatedly noticing that Huli’s tails were gone.

“I put them away,” Huli smiled, turning slightly to the side. Then came a “vroom” sound like a blade being drawn, and a brilliant light flashed behind the fox girl. A large cluster of fluffy, bushy tails burst out with a “bang.” “The door is narrow, and I kept bumping into things, so I put them away.”

Ailin, standing right next to her, let out a startled cry and was instantly sent flying by the sudden eruption of tails, rolling and tumbling several meters across the floor.

Huli let out a surprised yelp and rushed over, frantically pulling Ailin, who was still cursing, to her feet.

Yu Sheng watched, dumbfounded, but his first reaction was a sigh of relief. “You scared me. I thought you had shot all your tails out…”

Then a strange question occurred to him. “…Why did the tails coming out make a ‘vroom’ sound?”

Huli thought about it. “It could also be ‘bang.’”

Ailin, who had just been pulled up and was about to continue her tirade, froze at this and stared blankly at Huli. “…You make the sound effects yourself?!”

“Before sharing tails, foxes are supposed to make a sound to warn people to get out of the way,” the fox girl said matter-of-factly. Her speech was much smoother than when they first met, but there were still occasional odd pauses. “But you… didn’t dodge.”

Ailin instantly exploded. “How was I supposed to know these weird ‘rules’! What kind of fox are you, anyway!?”

Huli thought carefully, then shook her head dejectedly, her ears drooping. “I… don’t remember.”

This time, it was Ailin’s turn to freeze. The little puppet turned away awkwardly. “Don’t take it seriously. I was just speaking randomly…”

Yu Sheng walked over to Huli and, after thinking seriously for a moment, said earnestly, “Don’t be too discouraged. It’s not necessarily that you can’t go back. Maybe you’ll find your home someday.”

Huli’s ears perked up sharply. “Benefactor’s Nether Passage… can it send me back?”

“His door can go anywhere. Sometimes when he opens it, it even leads into someone’s alchemy furnace,” Ailin said, hands on her hips, looking as proud as if it were her own ability. “Maybe someday the door will open to your hometown.”

Then, as if suddenly thinking of something, she turned to Yu Sheng. “Hey, how about we check that alchemy furnace again? There were immortals there and stuff. What if it’s Huli’s hometown? Or if they’ve heard of it—it feels like the same sort of system…”

Yu Sheng’s face showed reluctance. “With the situation last time… they’d probably just attack us directly.”

“Oh, fair point. If I were on the other side of the door, I’d want to beat you to death too.”

Huli listened to the exchange between Yu Sheng and Ailin, her gaze shifting back and forth between them, looking completely confused.

Seeing this, Yu Sheng coughed twice and said somewhat awkwardly, “We’re discussing who to ask about your origins. Don’t worry. I’ll help you look slowly.”

“Benefactor, no need to go to too much trouble,” Huli understood this time, but she just shook her head gently. “If you can find it, that’s good. If not, it’s fine. Anyway… I don’t remember what my hometown looks like, and even if I go back, there’s no one I know.”

As she spoke, she reached into her tails and pulled out the two sharp canine teeth. A gentle, somewhat consoling smile appeared on her face.

“I’ve already found… my parents. Not going back is fine too.”

“…It’s good that you can think that way,” Yu Sheng let out a soft breath and nodded at the fox girl. “So, what plans do you have from now on? Have you thought about the future?”

Huli looked a bit lost. After hearing Yu Sheng’s words, she was stunned for a long time before slowly shaking her head.

“I… don’t know,” she said softly, her tone as anxious as a young beast leaving its nest for the first time. “This is my first time leaving that valley. This place is nice, but everything is so strange. I… don’t understand anything. I don’t even know where to find food. Mother said that foxes must not forget favors, but I don’t know what I can do to help benefactor.”

Her speech was still a bit jumbled, but Yu Sheng understood it all.

He smiled, comforting the slightly frightened fox.

“Then why don’t you live here from now on? I have spare rooms—and plenty of food. No need to worry about going hungry. As for what you can do… help me fight from now on. For now, that’s the plan.”

Yu Sheng thought carefully. He didn’t really know what this fox was capable of. People said fox spirits granting favors could change fate, but it didn’t seem like she could help with writing C code, drawing illustrations, or making a PPT. However, this girl’s supersonic headbutt and her ability to shoot out her tails were truly impressive. In the future, when dealing with other domains, she would be a rare high-end combat asset. When the time came, Ailin could handle crowd control, Huli would charge in and attack, and he could safely cheer from the sidelines—a great plan indeed.

Huli, however, looked a bit confused. “Fight?”

“From now on, we’ll encounter even more domains, just like that valley. There are many similar ‘anomalous spaces’ in this world, hiding all kinds of dangerous entities,” Yu Sheng said slowly. “There may be others trapped inside like you, or people who seek our help for various reasons. As for me… I also have reasons to continue dealing with other domains and entities. In short, I need help.”

Huli listened, then suddenly looked a bit nervous. “Will we… get trapped again?”

Yu Sheng was taken aback, but soon the fox girl’s very genuine reaction made him smile. “Did you forget about my ‘Nether Passage’?”

Huli froze, then a smile slowly spread across her face.

She nodded happily. “Alright. I’ll help benefactor… fight!”

(End of chapter)